Tightener for form-clamps.



G. F. NEWTON.

TIGHTENER FOR FORM CLAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29. I915.

Patented Feb. 5, 1918.

@E@EGE F. NEWTON, OF INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI, .hSSIG-NOR T0 WM. M. JBUNTTNG', OF

KANSAS CITY, MISSQ'UET. I

TTGHTENER, FOR FORM-CLPS.

Application filed. November 29, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, GEoRoE F. NEWTON a citizen of the United States, residing at The dependence, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tighteners for Form-Clamps; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a tightener for form clamps or the like, and has for its rovide a simple and eficient mechanism or drawing the members of a form together, so that they may be held 'in close relation, during the pourand setting of material within the form. n accomplishin vided improved etails of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure T is a perspective view of part of a form for molding a vertical column show ing one of the clamp rods and the tightening mechanism.

Fig. llll is a longitudinal section of the clamp and tightening mechanism, showing a part of the form.

Fig. llllll is a detail perspective view of the ratchet wrench that forms part of the tightening mechanism.

Fig. TV is aside view of the wrench, with one of the jaws removed to illustrate the ratchet. I

Fig. V is an enlarged elevation of the ratchet, showing the reversible pawl in different positions in full and dotted lines.

Referring more'in detail to the drawings. U

1 designates a part of a column form, here shown to consist of longitudinally arran ed boards, and cross bars 2. Extending through a cross bar 2and lying; along one side of the form '-is a tightening rod 3,

which extends through the ends of the cross specification 01' Letters Patent.

this object l have pro-.

Patented. Feb. 5, tare.

Serial No. M1039.

bar and carries a collard, having an enlarged flange 5 bearing against the outer face of the cross bar.

The interior of the collar is of suficient diameter to receive rods of substantial size and preferably contains the upstanding ribs 7-8 which are spaced apart to form a recess 9 therebetween, into which a rod that is contained within the collar may be forced, by engagement of the end of a set screw 10 that is carried in the collar opposite the ribs 78,.and is operable from t e exterior of the collar.

In practice the form is set up and the tightening rod located along one side thereof and extegnded through the cross bars 2, the projection of the ends of the rod being sulfcient to carry the tightening mechanism. The collars are located loosely on the rods and forced against the faces of the cross bars until the forms are suficiently tight, when the collars may be anchored to the rod by means of the set screws 10 and the tightening mechanism removed.

The tightening mechanism for performing the function described preferably consists of a sleeve 12, having exterior screw threads 13, and having a head flange 15 at its outer end, comprising spaced ears 1617, between which a cam 18 is pivotally mounted.

The cam 18 comprises a head 19 that is projected into the channel of the sleeve 12 to engage the rod 3, and has a .V-groove 20' therein within which the rod may lie in order to adord a more eficient contact of the cam against the rod. In order to force the cam automatically to contact with the rod I provide a spring 22 which is anchored on one of the sleeve ears and engages a tail 23 on the earn, from beneath, 1n order to urge the cam toward its rod engaging position, movement of the cam toward said position being limited however by the pins 24l--2 t on the cam head, that are adapted for engaging the sleevebead, to obviate excessive movement of t dam. I

In order to adapt the device for use with different sized rods, I also preferably rot gide the head 15 with a set screw 25 w ich is located directly opposite the cam and may be raised or lowered to form a seat for the rod '3, so that'when the cam is in functional prises a barrel 27 that is threaded onto the sleeve 13 and has a head 28 that is adapted to bear against the outer end of the collar 4, and is preferably provided with a nut socket 29, within whlch an ordinary nut may seat so that the wrench may be used for; purposes other than that directly limited to ,the form mechanism. The base of the nut socket 29 comprises an aperture 30' through which aclamp may be rojected and guided. The barrel 27 is provi ed, about midway its length, with a ring flange 31, having ratchet teeth 32 thereon, and rotatably mounted on the barrel, at' opposite sides of the ring flange, are handle members-3334, the arm 33 being preferably extended to form a handle 35 and the arm 34 being secured to the member 33 by any suitable means, both parts being cut away to form the socket 36 within whlch the ratchet may lie when the parts are assembled.

Pivotally mounted on a pin 38 that extends between the arms 3334 is a double headed pawl 39, the head 40 and 41 of which are adapted for respective but separate engagement with the ratchet at 0 O- site sides of the center line, the base 0 the pawl having the Hat faces 4243 adapted or engaging a flat spring 44 that is mounted in the wrench handle inorder to yield ingly hold the ratchet pawl in place, so that when one of the flat faces is in engagement with the spring, a relative ratchet head will engage the pawl and when the other flat face is in engagement with the spring,

the opposite pawl head willengage the ratchet, the directionof operative movement of the wrench being thereby determined by the osition of the pawl.

T e mounting of the spring 44 preferably comprises transversely slotted ears -4647 on the. wrench handle, into which the s ring 44 may be projected, the said spring eing preferably provided with corrugations 49 at one end, whereby that end of the spring may.

be securely locked within the handle slot while the other end is free to slide within its slot and thereby efl'ect the operative spring movement.

. In using the device and assuming that it is to'be used on a vertical column, the 'column form members are first set up, and assembled, and the rod 3 extended through.

the projected ends of the cross bars, so that the bars will lie against the sides of the form. Collars 4 are then slipped on over the outerfaces of the cross bars and one of the collars fixed in position by tightening the set screw 10 against the rod 3, The tightening device is then laced on the opposite end of the rod by slipping the sleeve 13, carrying the "tightening wrench, over the end of the rod until it bears against the loose collar 4. The wrench barrel is then moved inwardly by manipulation of the handle 35 to force the head 28 of the barrel against the outer ends of the collar 4, this inward movement of the wrench barrel relieving the cam head, so that the spring 22 may trip the head untll it engages the rod and clamps thereon. Further movement of the wrench barrel forcesthe head 28 against the end of the collar and pushes outwardly on the sleeve 13, outward movement of said sleeve being restrained however by the engagement of the cam with the rod, so that the collar 4 is forced inwardly against the form bar and the form tightened by such movement.

As soon as the form has been sufliciently tightened, the set screw 10 on the collar is forced against the rod to lock the collar rocks to move the head from the rod, when the tightener may be slipped ofi the rod and used in another location.

It is apparent that by providing the wrench with the double pawl, the pawl will slip in one direction and hold in the other when set for one position, and that the action is reversed when the pawl is set forthe other position, so that the wrench may be used for either right or left hand work, and that by providing the wrench barrel with the end socket 29 the wrench may be used for purposes other than that for which it is particularly adapted.

Havin thus described my invention, what'I c aim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. The combination with a sleeve, of a cam carried by said sleeve, means for normally urging the cam to functional position, a barrel threaded onto said sleeve and adapted for engaging the cam to move same to non-flmctional position against the tension of the yieldin means, a handle rotatably mountedon t church and a pawl on said handle adapted for operatively connecting the handle with the barrel.

2. The combination with a sleeve, having an exterior threaded portion, of a head on said sleeve provided with spaced cars, a cam 125 'pivotally mounted between said ears and s nataaro having a head at one end and a tail at the opposlte end, a spring engaging said tail and urging the cam head toward functional position, a barrel threaded onto the sleeve t and adapted for enga 'ng the cam tail to rock the same to nonnotional position, a

' ratchet ring on the barrel, a Wrench rotatahly mounted on the barrel and anchored thereto by said ratchet ring, and a pawl pivotally mounted on the Wrench member 10 and adapted for engaging said'ratchet ring. In testimony whereof afiix my signature.

enonen 15. Newton. 

